Kirby Puckett, the Hall of Famer outfielder who led the Minnesota Twins to two World Series, recently died after suffering a stroke. He was 45.

Puckett suffered the stroke at his home in Scottsdale, AZ, and later died at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said: "He was revered throughout the country and will be remembered wherever the game is played. Kirby was taken from us much too soon--and too quickly."

Puckett led the Twins to World Series championships in 1987 and 1991 after breaking into the majors in 1984. He had a career batting average of .318 with 2,304 hits and 207 home runs. He won six Gold Gloves and made 10 All-Star Game appearances. He won All-Star Game MVP honors in 1993. He also won an AL batting title in 1989 and was viewed as one of the best all-around players of his era.

He was elected to the Hall of Fame on his first try in 2001 and his plaque praised his "ever-present smile and infectious exuberance."

He spent his entire career with the Minnesota Twins. Puckett was drafted by the Twins in 1982. He had played for Bradley University and Triton College in Illinois.

Puckett grew up in a housing project on the South Side of Chicago.

"I wore one uniform in my career and I'm proud to say that," Puckett once said. "As a kid growing up in Chicago, people thought I'd never do anything. I've always tried to play the game the right way. I thought I did pretty good with the talent that I have."

When he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, Puckett said: "I played every game like it was my last. I think I'm one of the few guys who can say I left my blood, sweat and tears on the field."

He retired in 1996 when he discovered he had glaucoma and was blind in his right eye. He later was named executive vice president of the Twins.

The youngest of nine children born into poverty in a Chicago housing project, Puckett was drafted by the Twins in 1982 and became a regular just two years later.

Puckett was divorced and is survived by a son, Kirby Jr; and a daughter, Catherine.

Private visitation and memorial services were scheduled at JET press time in Minneapolis.

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